Tuesday, July 31, 2012

It's really amusing seeing ignorant white people speaking for a community they'll never belong to. White people who voted for McCain are never accused of being drunk on the color of his skin. Nor are the white people who voted for George Bush or Clinton or Carter or any of the white people that they've voted for. Let's face it, anyone who voted for McCain could have been doing it because they only support other white people.

Even though black people have been supporting the Democratic party since before Obama became a politician, white racists prefer to believe that if Obama had been completely white, then black people would have voted for McCain. Uh, no. Even when all of the candidates in a race are white, black people tend to vote for the Democrats.

Just look how many hoops people will jump through to avoid the fact that Obama is just as much white as he his black. Just like all of our other Presidents in the past, he was raised by white people. He had no black siblings or parent around. But, even that is not enough for ignorant white people. They still prefer to cling to the idea that he harbors some secret hope to institute white slavery.

It's this ridiculous mentality that keeps black people away from the Republican party. At one time, it had the support of black people. Then it went loco and black people exited it. Republicans would rather do anything except take some personal responsibility for why black people see no reason to support them. Even though many black Americans do identify as pro-life, highly religious, and view marriage as something between a man and a woman, the Republican party is so openly racist and anti-intellectual that the idea of identifying with it remains repugnant in their eyes.

The information was posted on Facebook by a user named SaSu Weh. He also helpfully explained the context of this win.

"Few know but forever the USA has vetoed and kept the Iroquois from playing in International competition, this is a sweet victory for all of us but especially for the nation who invented the game. They are 2nd place if they win it will be one for the history books, well it already is :)"

I always feel very bitter when I hear white guys talking about lacrosse without acknowledging its origin. It's ridiculous that the people who gave this game to the world were being prevented from playing. I don't think anyone should be surprised that the nations that are most responsible for the marginalization of Indigenous Americans would engage in these imperialist bullying.

It was pretty awesome just to learn that there was an Indigenous American team representing their nation all the way across the world in Finland. I was angry to learn that the USA has purposely and consistently tried to keep the Iroquois team out, but it makes their defeat even sweeter. How dare they try to exclude the originators of this sport?! Perhaps they knew that if the Iroquois were allowed to play, the world would see that we are not a defeated people and this game will always be OURS, not theirs.

"The US – which came into the competition having gone 36-0 in international competition – had lost three days earlier to Canada, 11-9 in overtime.
Team USA has never needed to play in the quarterfinal round since sanctioned international U19 play began in 1988."

I love seeing all of the white salty whiners in the comments section of this article that gives a play-by-play description of the Iroquois/USA match:

They just can't accept the fact that the Iroquois beat the USA. In their minds, it must be because the best players weren't chosen for the USA team. They can't even face the possibility that this was the best the USA had to offer and the Iroquois were still better. No, it must not be that. Perhaps, repeating it over and over again will make them feel better about losing.

My daughter is 16 and she still makes sure that her American Girl doll stays dressed and has her hair combed regularly. I remember the first time I went into the store and I was so happy that I could just cry. I wonder if most people know just how hard it is to find dolls for children of color. I was ecstatic that I could get one with the exact mix of features that my multi-racial daughter had. Her doll was/is just perfect. She had the spacey teeth, medium skin tone, brown eyes, and wavy hair. My daughter thought that we'd had a doll version of her made.

From her birth, I was committed to only buying dolls that were people of color. I had no idea how difficult it would prove to be. Louisiana has a large percentage of the population that's people of color, but still the local stores carried very few non-white dolls. Thankfully, my (white) mother-in-law understood and supported my endeavor. She would scour stores when she traveled for her job. My mom also got a few whenever they'd turn up in her city.

Back then (sixteen years ago), it was extremely hard to find black/brown/Asian dolls. There was Black Barbie and that was basically all you'd find in most toy stores. Barbie had a slightly racially ambiguous friend that might have been Asian, but I think many Asian parents were stuck with the same lack of options. Even when we did find non-white dolls, they were often of poor quality. The skin on them would be weird shades of taupe or some kind of bruise-looking color. So, the American Girl doll was a god-send.

Over the years, we've purchased lots of other accessories. The dog, Coconut, is the only pet they had back then. I'm so happy to hear about the hearing aid and service dog. I am a member of the "Beautiful and Bald Barbie! Let's see if we can get it made" Facebook group and I know that there are plenty of little girls who will love having a doll without hair.

I'm usually not in the habit of recommending a toy that's in this price range ($105), but I almost feel as if a doll isn't just a toy. I was living on a research stipend when I bought the AG doll, but I felt like it was worth the price. It's the best doll I've ever been able to find for her.

Monday, July 16, 2012

I'm really uncomfortable with the inclusion of Antoine Dodson in this. His entire media exposure is due to the incident where he had to protect his cousin from being raped. Of more relevance, though, is that he has spoken out about being an actual survivor of rape.Sometimes, survivors of this atrocity cope in ways that others may not approve of. If we start dictating how survivors should speak or cope, where does it end?

Being a woman with incurable cancer, I often engage in gallows humor. If I talk about the ways I'd like to go out with a bang, does it mean that I'm joking about the violent deaths of women of color? Does it mean that I am mocking the pain that women with cancer often experience? Of course not! I'm engaging in cathartic strategies that make it possible for me to deal with the reality that I am experiencing and that I will surely face in the future. The same is true when it comes to rape survivors.

This video is extremely problematic and doesn't even address issues like whether gay men (like Dodson) experience rape at higher rates (than heterosexual men) due to their sexual status, just as women are perceived as more acceptable targets because they also have a low sexual status.

There's also the factor of socio-economic class. This is an impoverished rape victim who is suddenly offered the opportunity to take his family from the place where his cousin was almost raped into more secure housing. Can we really say that it would have been more ethical for him to just allow others to make money off of his suffering? Why should his family remain in the place where his cousin was victimized while those who popularized his story rest comfortably in their domiciles (paid for by exploiting him and his cousin)? To throw him into the same category as those white, rich, hetero men who are shown on here is amazingly blind to the power of class privilege.

Lastly, it should be noted that these clips are being used as advertisements for their own media event. How is this really different from the way that Dodson has used his story to launch his own endeavors to improve life for himself as a rape victim and his family member who was subjected to an attempted rape?

About Me

Above all else, I am proof that having an incurable cancer doesn't mean that your life is over. I am also the mother of a gifted child who has been an artist since she was born. We live in the southern part of the beautiful state of Louisiana. I'm a biology student on hiatus as I heal from treatment. Besides English, I can speak Arabic, a bit of French and Spanish and nothing more than a few phrases in German but I'm working on it. I love cats and plants even though I only have 2 of each. Some of my friends call me Tulip. You're free to do the same.